Aligned Birth

Send us Fan Mail In part 2 of our perinatal vocabulary series, we’re focusing on terms you might hear as you get closer to birth.  And although these might be birth terms, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with them during your pregnancy as well.  This just helps you be better prepared and to communicate effectively with your birth team.  Definitely listen to part 1 which gives some great o...

Send us Fan Mail Pregnancy can bring about a lot of physical bodily changes, but it can also introduce a whole new vocabulary as well.  In today’s episode, Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon highlight terms that can help you navigate your prenatal journey. with more ease and confidence.   From basic anatomy definitions of common organs, organ systems, and tissues that are ever-changing during pregnancy...

Send us Fan Mail Birth is a transformational process.  It pushes you in ways you never imagined, and brings forth new life that forever changes you.  And how the process unfolds can have a lasting impact on you and future generations.  As much as we try to provide information and education on this show to help you have an empowered birth experience, having information alone does not equate to a po...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Shannon chats with Julie Hawkins, a 500HR RYT prenatal and postpartum yoga instructor in the metro-Atlanta area.  Yoga is a beautiful way to incorporate movement into your pregnancy and postpartum journey. It can also bring about self- awareness, help transition into motherhood, and "give back to your body” in a beautiful, effective, and meaningful way. We cover a lot in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael discuss the impact of birth trauma and stress on infant feeding (nursing and bottle feeding).  There’s lots to unpack in this episode: What baby’s body goes through during the birth process What is “birth trauma”  How normally physiological birth carries a certain amount of stress and strain Interventions that can cause more birth trau...

Send us Fan Mail Bringing home a baby can be a big transition, not just for mom and the new baby, but for the rest of the family as well.  In this episode, Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon share their own experiences with welcoming a new addition to the family.  They each have two boys who are three years apart, but they bring lots of different birth experiences to the table.  Doula Rachael shares ho...

Send us Fan Mail Conversations of a postpartum doula and a perinatal chiropractor.  Today’s episode is a wonderful conversation about postpartum support between Dr. Shannon and Gigi a postpartum doula and host of the Ready for Baby podcast.  They both agree that reaching the postpartum population can be difficult, and they hope to shed some light on ways you can take care of your nervous system as...

Send us Fan Mail When preparing for your birth, one thing to consider is pain management support during labor and birth.  It comes up a lot in Rachael’s doula work, and discussing in Dr. Shannon’s prenatal chiropractic office as well.  This episode is all about education, helping you make informed decisions when it comes to your birth plan and birth preferences.   In this episode, we discuss: The...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s guest is Casey McMinn Howard, Atlanta’s premier newborn and maternity photographer.  She goes above and beyond to help create a space where families feel welcome, comfortable, and at ease with documenting their pregnancy journey.  Dr. Shannon and Casey chat about what makes her photography space so unique (she has a beautiful studio in East Cobb and provides hair/makeup an...

Send us Fan Mail “ It helps for us to develop our own inner capacity to hold the things that make us nervous and uncomfortable. It helps for us to prepare our internal ground, so that birth may land upon a nervous system that will not default to fighting, fleeing, or freezing in response to the inevitably strong sensations and monumental transformation.” In this episode Doula Rachael and Dr. Shann...

Send us Fan Mail Can birth be compared to an ultramarthon - sure!  Just ask me, Dr. Shannon.  In today’s episode, doula Rachael and I sit down to discuss the unique way I celebrated a recent milestone birthday……running 40 miles for 40 years.  Now I am an avid runner, and I’ve used big races to celebrate big life events in the past (like graduating from chiropractic school), but Rachael was able to...

Send us Fan Mail Let’s celebrate a fantastic year of podcasting for the Aligned Birth Podcast!!  Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon chat about their 2022 stats including: 5,716 total downloads……..12 guest interviews……..and the top episodes of all time.  They also mention their top 3 favorite episodes of 2022 and give a little insight into why those are their favorites.  They have each learned so much f...

Send us Fan Mail Rebroadcast of episode 31: As a chiropractor and doula, we spend a lot of time with expecting and newly postpartum mothers. There is a ton of information you need and want to know about preparing for nursing. In this episode, we are going to talk about nursing posture.  Nursing posture is just one component (of many) to learn more about and to bring awareness to during this time. ...

Send us Fan Mail How you feel about your birthing experience is important, and a big part of how you feel about your birth relates to how you feel about your care provider.  In this episode, we’re discussing some ways to reverse engineer the thought process by beginning with the desired end result and working backward toward choosing a care provider.  The process involves tapping into your thought...

Send us Fan Mail Rebroadcast of Episode 29: Creating a vision board is fun, creative, and beneficial in helping you create your goals for your life, your work, and even your birth.  In this episode, we discuss: Dr. Shannon’s vision board events (past and present) What is a vision board? Why do people create vision boards? How to create a vision board? Hint, there is no right or wrong way! The bene...

Send us Fan Mail Why choose a home birth?  This is one of the first questions Dr. Shannon asks Dr. Baley in today’s podcast interview.   These two friends and colleagues dive deep into Dr. Baley’s birth stories, which happen to be two very different home births.  She shares her birth stories with grace and honesty, and so much joy.  They talk about: Why home birth The differences between her 2 bir...

Send us Fan Mail Just as your OB or midwife, doula, pelvic floor PT or other birth support team members will ask questions in their exams, the questions they ask serve a specific purpose and role.  In today’s episode, Dr. Shannon outlines some of the questions she asks during her prenatal chiropractic exam.  Now, not all chiropractors are going to ask the same questions, in the same order or same...

Send us Fan Mail There are many different kinds of doulas who provide a wide range of support and services. A common misconception is that birth doulas are only for those who desire an unmedicated birth. In this episode, Doula Rachael breaks down the many reasons birth doulas can support all types of birthing people and birthing preferences.  You may agree or disagree but I hope you find this epis...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know cold symptoms can be exacerbated or last longer during pregnancy?  This is because your immune system is working at a slightly lower function and your changing body may not be able to deal with cold symptoms as effectively (like chest congestion). In this episode, Doula Rachael shares a regiment to boost immunity and reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms dur...

Send us Fan Mail Kaitlin McGreyes is the founder of BeHerVillage. She started working as a birth doula in 2014 and quickly became passionate about creating access to maternal care for all. She has supported hundreds of families through their parenthood journeys, founded a doula team, ran a doula mentorship program, has lobbied on behalf of birthing people, and is committed to helping birth workers...

Send us Fan Mail Motherhood is a journey, not only of learning and discovering our new baby, but also learning and discovering what it means to be a mother.  And how society and culture views motherhood can impact how we experience it.  It’s easy to “should” on yourself as a new mom.  To feel anxious, guilty, pressured, and selfless.  So what can you do if you resonate with those feelings?  Holist...

Send us Fan Mail If you are pregnant and due around the holidays, this episode is for you. When it comes to navigating the end of pregnancy, there are several mixed feelings and emotions and likely some degree of discomfort and eagerness to meet your baby and for the pregnancy to be over.  Every path is unique for each birthing person. What works for one person may not work for you and what works...

Send us Fan Mail Informed and shared decision making is an evidence based practice that is proven to increase client satisfaction, increase positive relations among the care team, and increase levels of trust. In this episode with Doula Rachael, you will learn the benefits of informed and shared decision making and the things you can do now to help you navigate your pregnancy, birth, postpartum, a...

Send us Fan Mail There are many benefits to having a birth doula as part of your birth support team.  Some of these benefits are well-known and some may be new to you. The goal is for doula care to become the norm and to achieve teamwork between all care providers. Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon discusses the many benefits to having birth doula support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and beyond. In...

Send us Fan Mail If you have a new baby chances are you’ve been asked by your health care providers about how your baby is doing during tummy time.  So what’s the big deal?  In this episode, Dr. Shannon interviews Michelle Emanuel, a pediatric occupational therapist, who specializes in posture, feeding, neurodevelopment, social nervous system, and manual therapies.  In her 26 years of working with...